President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday evening ordered the immediate lifting of the unilateral ceasefire with communist rebels that he had declared less than a week ago, as the 5 p.m. ultimatum he gave lapsed without reciprocation.

Duterte also ordered the government’s security forces to be on heightened alert and to continue performing their functions to “neutralize all threats to national security.”

“Correspondingly, I am ordering the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to also withdraw the operational guidelines they issued in pursuance to that ceasefire declaration,” Duterte said in a statement released by Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza.

“I am ordering all security forces to be on heightened alert and continue to discharge their normal functions and mandate to neutralize all threats to national security, protect the citizenry, enforce the laws and maintain peace in the land,” he added.

Duterte declared the ceasefire during his first State of the Nation Address on July 25.

Rigoberto Sanchez, spokesperson of the New People’s Army-Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command, said the truce that Duterte had declared was not being enforced by the AFP and paramilitary troops in Mindanao.

The Communist Party of the Philippines said it would issue a statement 8 p.m. Saturday.

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